Tips and Tricks for any player (Wall of Texts)

~ EXP Grinding ~

It's absolutely no secret that EXP takes ages to gain. Getting to level 10 may come quicker for some than it does for others but for most, it's a confusing concept. XP can easily be gained just by patrolling around the backyard battleground, stomping on any enemy you see for flat XP. However, there are some "ins and outs" to XP that don't quite come to people as easily as some may think. Let's begin

~ The XP Multiplier ~

If you want to get loads of XP you're going to have to work your multiplier up to x2. Your current multiplier can be found in the bottom left of the screen, where it tells you what level you are and where you will find a "x0.50" to "x2.0". The x# is your current multiplier.

The multiplier is increased by doing the quests on the bounty board (Located in front of the building on the Plants or Zombie side of the Backyard Battleground respectively). Each quest will give you a Prize of 3 Stars (If it is a Plant/Zombie quest), 5k coins (If it is a Multiplayer quest), and a x3 of a little red dot/pin.

Every 5 little red dot/pins you get will boost your XP multiplier by 0.25x until you have gotten 20 pins, which will set your XP multiplier to 2x, allowing you to get 200 XP for player vanquishes.

~ Doing Quests through Solo Play ~

Most quests can be seen as tedious if you do not know what to do. If a quest asks you to "Vanquish 15 Peashooters" or "Vanquish 15 Engineers" then new players will jump into multiplayer and get creamed looking for a class that sometimes the other players aren't playing. This is where solo play comes into hand. Stacking a game in your favor can help you take these quests out in a single round while sometimes getting other quests done in the process as well.

For this example we will pretend we are doing a quest that requires me to vanquish 15 pea shooters plant 3 gnome bombs and vanquish 10 gnome bomb carriers. Seems pretty annoying, but it's really just 1-2 solo games worth of quest.

Go to the Multiplayer Portal, select "Solo Play", set the difficulty to easy (On Easy mode when your health drops below one third, you will take far less damage), Set the teams to 101st Division Peashooter team for plants (All Peashooters) and set the Zombie team to whatever you please. I usually do all my solo play on Zen Peak. The game should be gnome bomb.

Once the game begins, head to the bomb spawn (It will always spawn in the same spot the first time. Right next to the 2 barrels of fireworks on the cliff side)

Do what you do best to any plant who picks up the gnome. When a plant picks up the Gnome it -TECHNICALLY- will not fire at you. His friends will. If you find that your team is better at grabbing the gnome, then you may want to set your team to just Scientists (Scientists AI have trouble dodging bean bombs, and this leads to you having to run the bomb).

In this very specific scenario, as I need 10 Gnome Bomb carrier vanquishes, I will play as All star and attempt to herd the bomb runner with Tackle Dummies. The plant who grabs the bomb will always go to the nearest point with it if they can. I try my best to camp point C or A with Tackle Dummies since it is very predictable which direction the peashooter will take.

10 Carriers.

15 Peashooters?

No problem.

If you have a quest that is telling you to "Get x amount of kills with <Skill name Here>", then I usually take that character to the Flag of Power in the Backyard Battleground. The first wave will spawn 40 enemies for you which are usually very easy to vanquish. I will reset the flag after first wave of 40, Soldier/Peashooter/Any special plant or zombie variant doesn't just stack up for skills like husk hop or ZPG.

A great point made by another poster on the next page as follows:

(pandareno1999 credit to)

05-31-2017 02:34 PM - edited ‎05-31-2017 02:36 PM

 (end quote)

Turf Takeover quests require you can fully cap 5 points. 50 Points of capturing is equal to 5 points fully captured argh!! Empty games are very helpful with this hassle if you're not into point diving!!! You can also taunt the NPC's you vanquish in case you did not want to taunt a player and incur their wrath. The applications go on!

~ Finding Best Spots for XP ~

At Max XP Multiplier you will get:

500 XP for First Strike boast

200 XP for Player Vanquish

100 XP for Capture Vanquish (Vanquishing opponent on their Capture Point in Turf Takeover)

100 XP for Defender Vanquish (Vanquish opponent who is on YOUR Capture Point in Turf Takeover)

100 XP for Neutralizing Zones in Suburbination

200 XP for fully CAPTURING Zones in Suburbination

100 XP for player revivals

200 XP for vanquishing Plant/Zombie boss

100 XP for vanquishing a Plant/Zombie Champion (Plant/Zombie Icon with a Gold Circle around it)

50 XP for Vanquishing a Bot

50 XP for Assists

50 XP for you or a team member picking up a Gnome Bomb

50 XP for Planting a Gnome Bomb

50 XP for Disarming a Gnome Bomb

50 XP for Capture Vanquish (Vanquishing Opponent on their Capture Point in Suburbination)

50 XP for Defender Vanquish (Vanquish Opponent who is on your Capture Point in Suburbination)

20 XP for summoning a zombie

20 XP for summoned zombie vanquishing someone for you

20 XP for healing anything for 20 health (I think)

20 XP for vanquishing a summoned plant/zombie

20 XP for helping capture the point in Turf Takeover (You'll get 20 XP multiple times depending on how long you stay on the point as it gains capture progress)

20 XP for Critical Vanquish

20 XP for suppression assist (All-Star & Mr. Tree man)

^------------------------------ These Values indicate THAT ----------------------------^

In order to get the maximum XP in a single kill, you must land a vanquish on someone who is on a point with a non critical strike, and it must be the first vanquish of the game. This lands you a whopping 800 XP. (First Strike, Player Vanquish, Turf Takeover capture point vanquish). If you get them with a critical strike, it will only count First Strike, Capture Point, And Critical Strike (610 XP)

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~ Multiplayer or Solo? ~

Multiplayer is tough. You can get placed in a game with a large amount of Master level characters or you can be placed in a game with a large chunk of Blue (New) nameplate gamers. Either way, not everyone can do well in a firefight where players are involved. Some people are better at handling predictable AI than some of those who are better at hanging out on rooftops and spotting people from miles away (Crazy mode AI eat some of those players alive). But the real factor remains that player vanquishes are worth 4x as much as a Bot vanquish. The Money count will be around the same depending on your difficulty choice in solo. It comes down to how well you can grind those vanquishes.

There is a cheap and sleazy way to grind EXP using the split screen. It does involve losing a game but it means loads of experience for long range characters you are capable of shooting from behind cover, all the while ensuring you are not hit to the point of dying. You must set a second player on the opposite team and have them stand on a Capture Point of Turf Takeover on a team of nothing but Sunflowers/Scientists. As long as you can vanquish them fast enough before healing begins, the Scientists will usually revive the other player faster than you could have ran back. This gives you 6 or so Minutes to grind as much exp as you can on another player.

->REMEMBER THAT THE TEAMS MUST BE SET TO ALL HEALERS FOR THE SIDE WITH THE PLAYER WHO IS BEING VANQUISHED.<--

-----------> SET THE TEAM FOR THE PLAYER WHO IS GRINDING TO -NO BOTS-. THEY MUST PLAY SOLO<--

I did not do this with split screen but I'm assuming it can be done with it. I did this with mine and a friends Ps4 on 2 TV's. Please note that this trick ...

^---REQUIRES ANOTHER PLAYER OR CONTROLLER---^

You must be familiar with the beginning of the levels indicated.

You must be able to "Shoot from the right" as indicated on the first page of this topic.

If you want the Maximum pay out of 7,500 coins alongside your grinding, you will have to play on Crazy Mode. Don't mess up.

Head to the Multiplayer Portal and select PRIVATE MATCH. Set the game type to TURF TAKEOVER. The level will determine who can do the exp grinding. I only know of two levels and locations so far.

Level: SEEDS OF TIME

For:  COZMIC BRAINZ AND ALL VARIATIONS OF FOOT SOLDIER WITH THE EXCEPTION OF TANK COMMANDER & ARCTIC SOLDIER.

Location: As Any Soldier/Cozmic Brainz, begin the match by taking the furthest left path and using your Super/Rocket Jump to reach the entrance to the catwalk above the bench. Follow this catwalk through the possible teleporter room and find yourself in the Sniper Nest overlooking the Capture Point.

Job for vanquished player: Set the other player as a Vampire Flower (or other flower variant that has low health). Place the player on the point along the side which is plainly visible to the one who will be grinding exp from the Sniper Nest. TAP THE FLOWER SKILL SO YOU ARE NOT FLAGGED AFK. TAP IT ON COOLDOWN OR LOSE MONEY. If possible swap to Dark Flower so it does not heal you. Enjoy the sweet headrush of seeing how fast you get knocked out. Pick up teeth. Get a photo done beforehand to remember how you looked before your pride was obliterated.

Job for exp grinding player: Hiding on the LEFT of your Sniper nest, you will be practicing the side shot on the point. You will see there is low visibility, as the player must be in the green circle for you to get 300 XP per Vanquish. Make your first kill with a precision ZPG shot, which will ensure an 800 XP boost. If Cozmic, it is okay to forgo added exp for just a ranged critical if the flowers give you trouble. YOUR SMOKE GRENADE, PLACED ON THE WALL AND STOOD IN, PROVIDES YOU IMMUNITY TO THE NPC AIMING MECHANIC. This will allot you TEN OR SO SECONDS to get your vanquishes.

As Cozmic Brainz, rely solely on your ranged attack and see just how much Cozmic shines when he finally gets his Overheat upgrade. Also take the chance to make a risky Super Ultra Ball. You'll be shot at almost instantly, but seeing just how accurate with it you can be on a target who is not moving will surprise you at just how precise this skill needs to be to score the long range 100+ damage.

NOT SHOOTING AT THE NPC'S will ensure you have a clip ready for when they pick up the player. If you are doing this with two controllers and just yourself, you will need to adjust where the player is standing so they are in the circle after a few vanquishes. The flower will move when you place the final shot.

Vanquishing the flower pot while it is down will net you 120 XP so long as it was placed in the Capture Zone.

As you learn to handle Crazy Mode AI (If chosen to do so), you will come to see that they have a sixth sense about where you are, and can target you without even turning around. Placing your aiming reticule on a Crazy Mode bot who is attempting to revive a player will sometimes make them change their course, giving another AI the job of reviving and lengthening the revival.

On the final minute of the game, all of the AI will swarm the point sometimes resulting in difficulties taking down the player on the point as all of the flowers will try to heal them. Fun!

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Level: ZOMBURBIA

For: Any Cactus, Pea Shooter*, Sun Flower*

*Peashooter recoil makes it tough to plant shots while rapidly shooting. Some shots will hit the roof of car. Use Gatling Gun on cooldown.

*Sun Flower should be leveled in Multiplayer since learning to avoid fire while healing is more important than pure prestige plates

Location: At the start of the match you will be placing yourself smack dab in the center of the road. Shooting down the middle while standing on the trunk of the car behind your base-camp spawn line, right in front of the gate which explodes 30 seconds into the game and directly in between the two giant Z-Bot defenders. You can be easily fired upon by Zombie Scientist AI which will surprise you at a moments notice. Sometimes if Beaker Blaster or Nature Scientist gets right next to you despite the 3 secs before they are KO'd, they will be able to shoot you if it is the final shot which vanquishes you. Be careful.

Job for vanquished player: As a Scientist of any type, you will be launching yourself to the point at Warp Speed. Attempt to place yourself near the stairs closest to the gate that explodes near the beginning of the match. (On the point dummy!) And remember, you're pretty far away from the one who is shooting you and there's a big purple light in front of you so you're tough to see. Also, zombies will attempt to revive you more and more behind the point as you are vanquished. Keep this in mind as you eventually find yourself behind the pole on the point, placing you completely out of the line of sight of your vanquisher.

Put a smiley button on your Science coat and remember that it's all fun and games until someone forgets to use their skills! You'll be docked pay for AFK. Try to throw a Mega Heal Bomb every 20 or so seconds. Brain Matter you cannot recover can be replaced!

Job for exp grinding player: As the Cactus you are going to be picking a Z-Bot defender and unloading your clip into it. Once your clip is empty switch to your drone and bring yourself as high as you can go and begin to fire at the Bots. The bots will both have around 400 health so don't be afraid to use your Corn Strike as soon as you can to make it quick. Defeating the bots will take about fourty-five seconds to a minute. Take this chance to see just how long it takes your Cactus of choice to deal that 400 damage with no criticals. Pea Shooters and Sunflowers both have a Root-Skill which provides them with insane stationary DPS.

Once the bots are taken care of you must follow the road to the gate that explodes 25 or so seconds into the match.Staying behind the gate you're going to hop onto the trunk of the vehicle docked on the street with the barbed wire & sandbags. On the trunk of this car, you are -technically- hidden from the Scientist Bot AI. The roof of the vehicle is technically what they see if their shot would hit it when they fire at you. If the shot would hit you, they can see you and will take the shot. You are able to fire from behind this roof and if you come under fire, it's nothing more than a few steps back. Try to regenerate to at least 64 health before attempting to make your vanquish.

Hopping on the trunk as Cactus and scoring your Vanquish then hopping down is the best way to go about without being hit. The Scientists that notice you will persue you until they are Vanquished by you or because they stepped behind your respawn line. Placing potato mines to pick up these spare pins is okay, but only worth 50 XP per one. Remember, only Vanquishes on the Capture Point count for an Extra 100 XP. In the final minute, everyone will swarm the point. Using your Corn Strike during this time -After- Knocking out the player can result in almost 10 whole vanquishes.

Pea Shooter will need to rely on steady firing speeds to ensure he can shoot from behind cover without hitting the roof of the vehicle or getting mobbed over by Scientist gunfire. His Pea Gatling gun, if fired in bursts, can score you about 5-7 Vanquishes before running out of ammo. (Tap the fire button and let go, don't hold it down)

I haven't tested Sunflower but assume she works like Pea Shooter. Try to use her in Multiplayer instead!! Focus on spotting enemies and avoiding gunfire!

Please keep in mind that I can usually grind out anywhere from 28-37 kills per game. It takes 2-3 games to get to level 10 in this fashion for me. It comes down to how accurate you are and how fast the AI will revive the player.

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I hope this helps you out. I'll give it a look over and spruce it up some more but for the most part I think it's done.

If anyone else has locations for quick exp grinding for the other classes which involves a spot you can SAFELY SCORE VANQUISHES AGAINST THE POINT AT (FIrst point only), submit it!